Leaving aside how you can still be leading, in bacteriology presumably, this is disgraceful politicising of a serious health issue of concern to all of us, by a political activist, no longer working in the health field, in an attempt to stir up anti-SNP feeling, with the kind of divide and conquer strategy loved by violent dictators throughout history.
Some, in Aberdeen will be encouraged by this kind of thinking to, once more, take risks. People could die. Pennington and his ilk know that and do not care.
Pennington is not a leading thinker in the control of viral outbreaks. His last experience was 25 years ago, in one town, with the source of a bacterial infection in one butcher’s shop.
Unlike professors Sridhar and Bauld, consulted internationally, no one will touch Pennington when they see his cv.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
I guess the FM might have something to say about this stuff which has come not only from Pennington but an Aberdeen Councillor. He’ll get his erse skelped.
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The “Aberdeen-has-been-badly-treated-compared-to-Glasgow” line has been pushed via the media this week since the restrictions wee imposed on Glasgow earlier. The P&J has the Tory Leader of the Council on the front page today, making a similar claim. With Poison Pennington weighing in this is clearly part of a publicity strategy to attack Public Health Scotland and the SG.
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Playing the North East off against the Central Belt has been the line in the P&J and The Courier for as long as I can remember, the 60s, and probably for years before that.
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Unfortunately, ‘Poison’ Pennington was the go to guy for Lewis McDonald. Is he a ‘leading epidemiologist’ as described by the Scotsman? Can you be a ‘leading epidemiologist’ when you’ve been retired for years and your entire career was in bacteriology?
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Or, just as likely as anything else, this guy just can’t cope with not being a real, practicing bacteriologist and in the public’s consciousness because of actual good work he once did, though even that was on the micro scale rather than the macro scale of a pandemic.
He sees highly respected and younger, female practicing public health experts and actual epidemiologists, who are actually sought after and respected across the world and the green eyed monster in him resents that. So he uses what remains of the respect he once had and pushes the ideological nonsense and lies he does, because he knows the media will gobble it up.
And he tells himself he can feel good about what he’s doing – and
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Or he might just be a bitter old man but one who likes money…he gets paid for these stories I presume.
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Like a retired fire officer who misses the boost from being an expert on arson who then starts fires to get attention.
I am not an expert in arsonist behaviour but have watched New Tricks S7 Ep 7.
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This sort of pronouncement merely undermines whatever reputation he may have had as a bug spotter
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‘Punitively’ means’ intended as a punishment’.
Who’s caused the ‘punishing’ in Pennington’s view? Is it the local public health professionals? Or did the Scottish Government go against the advice of the team of experts in Aberdeen in order to ‘punish’ the city? He should share his evidence.
Is it the Scottish Government’s national panel of public health experts? Or did the SG go against its expert advice as well in order to ‘punish’ the city? He should share his evidence.
And why would a government, any government, which faces a crucial election next year wish to ‘punish’ the people of one of the country’s major cities, or indeed ‘punish’ any group of people in this context? As someone who is keen to engage in big political issues, Pennington should enlighten us.
Of course the simpler explanation is that the professor is, not for the first time, playing crass politics whilst presenting as a serious commentator on scientific and health matters. Ethically this is highly problematic (to put it politely). And this time, in the course of so doing, it seems he lacks basic respect for scientific and health experts, including ones working in the Aberdeen area.
Words have meaning and his choice of ‘punitively’ in this case is, candidly, a disgrace. It is especially so for someone who clearly values and promotes his own academic status.
My comments are based just on the blog above and the Press & Journal’s tweet.
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What a Warker!!!
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Oh settle petal, do you really think the P&J are going to headline ‘Leading “Scotland in Union” propagandist writes bunkum to stir up local grievances and we agree with him’, it’s simply not possible…
Propaganda Anonymous based out of Torry tried for years to wean them off the addiction, but they not only fell off the wagon, they sold the wheels to a bankrupt car dealer…
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They could say ‘and Scotland in Union activist?’
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Scotland, caught in a trap, a timewarp, where people who are not experts now and who are not even relevant to dealing with a pandemic, are given a voice and airtime to spout their cr*p.
Scotland’s moved on, though the BritNats are doing there damndest to keep pressing the ‘stop’ button and keep Scotland back like they used to be able to do. It’s not working, Scotland just elbowed the BritNats out the way, oops!
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The Aberdeen was punished more than Glasgow line was peddled again today at the Briefing.
When will they learn? They disregarded precautions in Pubs and Restaurants, and it got out into the community.
The measures were appropriate.
In Glasgow it s people meeting up in homes – mostly family gatherings – where precautions have been abandoned.
The measures are appropriate.
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Ahhh! Good old Prof Pennington. A legend in Bacteriology. The first decade or so I spent in a Bacteriology lab I knew nothing of his existence …. then he retired, and he’s been everywhere since. He’s clearly got too much time on his hands these days. I wish he’d find another hobby.
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If Pennington a 25 yrs out of date bacteriologist now in his 80,s
And George Galloway 25yrs out of date politician
are all they can muster I’m not bothered
Both crave the limelight but are no longer relevant
People generally say “who ? “
Who are they again ?
Oh yeah !
Forgot about them.
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OT – Yet possibly not, the Kilgour ‘fold’ on ‘Home Farm’ may have left Poison Pennington knackered on the “old folks sent to their death” line and has to revert to Doric v Glaswegian stirring…
I dare say there has been a lot more going on behind the lawyers than many of us are likely to be aware of, but the fact that Kilgour has had his milk-cow run dry impresses me no end…
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With regards this Pennington chappie
I have held my tongue long enough now
And having worked at culturing both bacteria and viruses in highly specialised
Ultra clean sterile rooms
I must come to the very firm conclusion
That
1.He knows little how a virus replicates,
Infects,contaminates and its shelf life upon such surfaces
Generally a virus will be highly contagious
For a short time, explosive multiplication once new host infected and in most cases a high dose rate of transmission reqd.
Given all and because of all that a virus tends to have a short shelf life outside its host E.G. HIV dies very fast outside the body once the Temperature becomes only a little below body temp
Evolution has designed viruses with these traits in order to ensure they only not survive but thrive once the opportunity to do so arises
Very Very rarely did viral contamination ever present a serious problem in contamination issues with regards sterile rooms
Whereas bacteria in most cases of even the slightest of contamination within a working sterile room would eventually lead to the the complete shutdown of the facility and the deepest of cleans implented before the sterile room put back into service
So if The Professor was aware of such ways a virus behaves then NO WAY can he possibly justify the comments he passes
So in conclusion
He is
A) ignorant upon such matters
OR
B) None other than politically motivated
In general he is attempting to manage a cricket team whilst indeed he is a football
Manager
And we all know how that would end up for the cricket team Do We Not
You will soon be exposed and that is why tongue now wags
And it is not forked unlike his
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Finally the Paul Simon connection clicked….
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